election

Homegrown presidential candidate

I'm at Gary Johnson's presidential campaign party at Hotel Albuquerque with about 150 of his fans and friends.

The former New Mexico governor hasn't yet made an appearance, but I got a chance to talk to spokesperson Joe Hunter. He says the campaign isn't looking to pull any particular percentages around the country. "The number we end up with tonight is not that important."

If Johnson gets 5 percent of the vote in New Mexico, the Libertarian Party will be a major party in our state during the next election cycle.

"What we have done is created a good foundation," Hunter says. "We've identified hundreds of thousands of Gary supporters." Johnson made more than 1 million friends on Google Plus, 100,000 Twitter followers and 400,000 Facebook friends, according to Hunter. He visited 20 college campuses and drew hundreds of attendees at each, even with only a couple of days notice, Hunter says.

Johnson ended up on the ballot in 48 states and in D.C. His name wasn't listed under presidential options in only Michigan and Oklahoma. As the election neared, Hunter says third-party candidates lose supporters, especially if the race is looking close.